Dudley Strikers to Challenge Labour

Report by Greg Dropkin Published: 03/01/01

Dudley NHS strikers intend to stand in the General Election against Labour MP Ian Pearson (Dudley South), highlighting Government support for the Private Finance Initiative.

A mass meeting last Friday also decided to escalate the dispute with a further 3 week strike coupled to protests in the constituencies of all health ministers, and a demo in the Dudley area. The strikers will seek invites to all forthcoming UNISON Regional Councils, and ask other branches to consider a special UNISON conference to alter union policy on fighting PFI.

Under rule, such a conference can be called by the National Executive or alternatively requires the support of branches representing 25% of UNISON’s membership. Its aim would be a co-ordinated national strategy to replace the decentralised and fragmented approach that allows employers to set the agenda.

Pearson is defending his record, telling the Dudley News (3 Jan) he’d had “more than 20 meetings with ministers in a bid to end the strike”. The Express & Star (3 Jan) reported he did not believe further strikes were the answer. Instead, the MP was “staggered” that UNISON had rejected a government offer. “If UNISON had agreed to suspend further action they would have been given a chance to re-bid to keep the jobs in the NHS, but they didn’t even ballot their members on this,” he declared.

In the 1995 by-election Pearson promised to ‘save Wordsley Hospital’ through opposition to the PFI plans of Dudley Group of Hospitals. UNISON Joint Branch Secretary Angela Thompson has urged Pearson to meet her members to explain his position.